Lionel Messi: Sudden Departure From Barcelona Is Not What I Imagine

Lionel Messi leaked his departure from Barcelona was inappropriate (Instagram/@intermiami).

JAKARTA - Inter Miami star Lionel Messi has reiterated his desire to return to Barcelona in the future.

He explained that his sudden departure from the LaLiga club in 2021 was not what he imagined.

Messi's comments came a day after he suddenly appeared at Camp Nou to visit the renovated stadium.

He then posted the photos on social media with a statement saying he hoped to return to say goodbye that had never been said as a player.

"We really miss Barcelona. With the kids, constantly, and my wife, we talk about things at Barcelona."

"The idea is to go back to living there. We have our homes there, everything, so that's what we want," Messi told Diario Sport.

Messi's surprise visit to Camp Nou surprised everyone last weekend. After arriving at Barcelona before joining the Argentine National Team in Alicante, he decided to make a surprise visit to Camp Nou accompanied by his team-mate at the Argentine club and national team, Rodrigo De Paul.

Security officers allowed him in, where he took photos in the field which then got more than 22 million likes on Instagram in the first 24 hours after being uploaded.

It was the first time Messi has returned to Camp Nou since 2021, when he left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to the stadium when it's finished because I moved to Paris and I never returned to Camp Nou."

"Then Barcelona moved to Montjuic (Olimpic Lluis Companys Stadium). It would be strange to come back and see him because the last time I saw him was a long time ago."

"It would be emotional to go back there and remember everything that happened," he told Sport in an interview conducted in Miami ahead of a weekend visit.

Barcelona has played at the Olimpic Lluis Companys Stadium since 2023 due to renovations worth 1.5 billion euros being carried out at Camp Nou.

The club held open training sessions there last week in front of 23,000 supporters and hoped to return before the end of the year when the City Council gave them permission to host matches with about 45,000 spectators.

The stadium will most likely only be fully completed by at least 2027, where its capacity will increase to 105.000 spectators.

Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, said he was eager to inaugurate Camp Nou with a tribute match for Messi.

Although Messi has never explicitly commented on the possibility. He still feels he has unfinished business with the club where he remains the goalscorer and record holder of the most appearances.

"It's a strange feeling after leaving, because of how it all happened, because I spent my last season there playing without spectators due to the pandemic."

"After spending my whole life there, I didn't go the way I dreamed of. I imagined myself spending my entire career in Europe, at Barcelona, and then coming here (to Miami), as I did, because that's my plan."

"That's what I want. So, my separation is a bit strange, because of the situation," said Messi.